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万人空巷

萬人空巷
wànrénkōngxiàng
idiom #50,484

Meanings

  1. 1 the streets empty as everyone pours out (to witness a spectacle)
  2. 2 the whole town turns out
  3. 3 crowds pouring out of every alley

Examples

国庆阅兵那天，首都万人空巷。
Guóqìng yuèbīng nà tiān, shǒudū wànrénkōngxiàng.
On the day of the National Day parade, the whole capital poured into the streets.
那位偶像歌手出现时，整条街万人空巷。
Nà wèi ǒuxiàng gēshǒu chūxiàn shí, zhěng tiáo jiē wànrénkōngxiàng.
When that idol singer appeared, the entire street emptied out as everyone rushed to see.
这部电视剧播出时，简直万人空巷。
Zhè bù diànshìjù bōchū shí, jiǎnzhí wànrénkōngxiàng.
When this TV drama aired, it was as if the whole town emptied out to watch.

Tips

history
From Su Shi's poem 《八月十七复登望海楼》: 赖有明朝看潮在，万人空巷斗新妆 — describing Hangzhou residents pouring out to watch the tidal bore. 巷 ('alley') empties because everyone has rushed out to see something.
mistakes
Common misunderstanding: many readers picture 'empty streets' (nobody there). Correct image is the opposite — the ALLEYS are empty because everyone left them to crowd somewhere else. Always describes a hugely popular event, never a ghost town.

Stroke Order

万 wàn
人 rén
空 kōng
巷 xiàng